With the series nearing its 54th anniversary, and having just announced it’s first openly gay full-time companion, the popularity of Doctor Who shows no signs of slowing down. Once the series crossed the pond by broadcasting on BBC America, it’s relevance to American fan culture shot through the roof. Last year at NYCC, Doctor Who-related programming commanded an audience big enough to justify a spot at the off-site venue of Madison Square Garden alongside perennial hit The Walking Dead.

In the comic book world, Doctor Who has the pull to support ongoing series commitments for the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors in addition to limited series runs for Doctors Three, Four and Eight. That’s more Doctors than even the most doctor-y multi-doctor TV special! Want more? This week sees the release of Doctor Who: Ghost Stories #1, a four-issue mini-series written by George Mann and drawn by Ivan Rodriguez, part of the comic team behind last year’s five-issue mini-series Supremacy of the Cybermen.

The most recent Doctor Who Christmas TV special, The Return of Doctor Mysterio, was of special interest to the intersection of Whovian comic fans. It featured a golden-age style superhero complete with a Clark Kent-like secret identity. And that’s where Doctor Who Ghost Stories #1 picks up-eight years past the events of the 2016 special, featuring the further adventures of Grant and Lucy and their now eight-year-old child Jennifer. The Doctor needs Grant’s help to track down some alien gemstones, companions to the gem which is the source of Grant’s superpowers. Want to try before you buy? Check the end of this article for some preview pages.

Also announced this week is the date of the fourth annual Doctor Who Comics Day, which will take place on September 2, 2017. Last year’s event included the release of the aforementioned Supremacy of the Cybermen mini-series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the terrifying, once-mortal, metal monsters. This year, Titan’s releasing another special comic which will crossover all the ongoing comic series Doctors: the Alpha issue. Not too many details on this yet, save that it’s drawn by Rachael Stott, whose intricate work can be seen in the Twelfth Doctor ongoing series.

Doctor Who is set to return to the small screen next weekend, on April 15. After nearly a year and half of waiting, fans will get their last season with the Twelfth Doctor, played by actor Peter Capaldi. It’s also the last season to feature infamous showrunner Steven Moffat, who has had a memorable–if somewhat divisive–impact on the direction of the series. What the show will be like in his absence was a question in hot debate at the Re(Generation) Who convention in Baltimore, MD in the final weekend of March.

It should come as no surprise that the US is home to a growing number Doctor Who annual conventions, where fans gather for photo sessions and panels featuring the show’s stars. Re(Generation) Who was a three-day event that boasted Seventh Doctor actor Sylvester McCoy, along with other series actors, classic and modern series TV writers, and book, comic book, and radio drama authors and artists.

The Beat was on hand to attend the comic panels and take pictures of all the fun cosplay the con had to offer. Doctor Who has become one of the most popular subjects for cosplayers at nerd conventions everywhere, but the concentration of Who-related cosplay on display at Re(Gen) led to some truly inspired takes on characters both familiar and lesser known.

The family that cosplays together, stays together: villains and heroes alike! From L to R: Missy, the 11th Doctor, and the 6th Doctor never looked so cosy. Young Ace stands off to the side, she always was a rebel.

These two did a double cosplay in honor of Re(Gen) guests Catrin Stewart (Jenny Flint) and Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra), the married couple and 1/2 of the Paternoster Gang first seen during the 11th Doctor’s season six.

Aint love grand? These two had different outfits for each day of the con, and I apologize for missing the final day of their cosplay, readers!

Why tap into just one fandom? These two are mashing up classic Doctor Who (and it’s related comics) and MST3K into something wonderful. From L to R: Frobisher the Whifferdill/Crow, the Second Doctor, the Sixth Doctor/Tom Servo and the Third Doctor.

Simon Fraser, artist for the 11th Doctor comic (and good friend of this reporter) gives a talk while live-drawing suggestions from the audience.

Fraser was only too delighted to live-draw a Zygon.

When an audience member asked him to draw the next Doctor, Fraser offered up this interpretation. But will Doctor Who’s future truly be female? Only time will tell…

The War Doctor, as portrayed by dearly departed actor John Hurt, came in at the end of Fraser’s panel equipped for another Time War with his bandolier and wine.

The rarely seen Weeping Angel phoning home. So joyful! Or gleefully about to consume my potential life energy. Can’t say for sure.

Speaking of creepy Weeping Angels, this one just lurked by the registration area like this for a LONG time. It was extremely unsettling.

After a long day of cosplay, the Fifth Doctor retired to the bar with a banana and a drink to watch some sport.

Did those angels not put enough fear in your heart? How about this unlucky explorer from Dr. Song’s team, consumed by the Vashta Nerada? No? How about if I told you there were sound effects that played as well?

The Second Doctor, whose archnemesis was really the BBC archive department.

Thomas Kincade Brannigan and a Cat Nurse enjoy attending panels when not stuck in traffic.

Merry Gejelh, songstress from the The Rings of Akhaten, contemplates her reflection.

This Victorian gender bend of the Sixth and Eleventh Doctors is so inspired. Check out the mop fringe on 11’s parasol!

Vendors like Geek Girls’ Castle had some really inspired ways of advertising their wares. This evil Osgood was scowling and prowling the vendor room for several days.

This Twelfth Doctor wins the award for best hair. Hair is a not inconsiderable part of any 12 cosplay, and if the Series 10 press tour is to be believed, it’s more unruly for his final year than ever before.

This member of the High Council of Gallifrey had to wait in line for actor photos and autographs just like everyone else. Re(Gen) is very fair that way.

Classic series show runner Andrew Cartmel, one of the people behind the creation of Ace and who worked the entire of Seventh Doctor era, chats with a Cat Nurse and incredibly detailed Jabe of the Forest of Cheem.

photo by Gaby Fraser

True to form, Jade passed out “cutting[s] of her Grandfather” to a few lucky con-goers. Just stay away from giant fans, okay Jabe?

These Clockwork Creatures were just hanging out with Amy and the Eighth Doctor like there’s nothing to be afraid of.

Photo by Gaby Fraser

Here they look much more menacing.

This Rose in her early 50’s get-up from The Idiot’s Lantern won the Best in Show cosplay prize at Re(Gen)’s cosplay competition and masquerade.

A sinister Lady Dalek gets a push from Merry, which is a fine way to thank the Doctor and Clara for saving your life!

The Eleventh Doctor, brainy specs and all, confronts a Troughton-era Dalek that was actually used on-set. The Dalek’s operator, Steve Gostelow, was also in attendance.

Gostelow also brought this assortment of Cybermen heads and classic Who props. Those could not have been fun to wear on a hot set.

One of the most accurate portrayals of the Tenth Doctor I’ve ever seen. Because you just KNOW he’d be licking his con badge.

photo by Gaby Fraser.

This Twelve wins the award for best guitar. A TARDIS guitar. That LIGHTS UP.

Deadpool chats up the Sixth Doctor. Man, that guy really gets around, doesn’t he? Is no other entertainment property safe from his chimichanga-loving influence?

A swash-buckling Amy is ready to defend Madame Vastra, even a very accurate facsimile thereof.

A Doctor Who comics panel featured George Mann, writer of the Ninth Doctor, Supremacy of the Cybermen, and Doctor Who: Ghost Stories and Eleventh Doctor artist Simon Fraser. George explained how he felt the comics medium was something young, budding artists and writers naturally gravitated towards.

Fraser agreed with this assessment, and laid out how he structures putting together pages using thumbnail sketches. Mann also showed slides of how he, even as a writer, uses thumbnails to better describe the basic layout he wants for his pages.

Mann then showed the various stages of line work and coloring that emerge from his rough thumbnails, in this case from the Twelfth Doctor comic, art by Mariano Laclaustra. Fraser remarked that this work demonstrated a clear trust and collaboration between Laclaustra and his colorist.

Taken just after the crowd broke out into room-wide applause when Fraser mentioned bringing back Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer created by the dearly departed Steve Dillon in the pages of Doctor Who Weekly.

But would this lovely young Dalek give even Abslom a moment of hesitation? Eh, probably not actually…

I don’t know where this clearly lost Boba Fett was intending to end up, but if it was the Great Pit of Carkoon, Re(Gen) was a much smarter stop.

If you’ve been reading and appreciating Titan’s run of Doctor Who comics the last few years, you’ve run into Rob Williams. Known more recently for his work on DC’s Martian Manhunter and Suicide Squad, the British comic author has penned Titan’s run on the Eleventh Doctor since the very beginning.

Currently, Williams’ run on the Second Season of Doctor Who is only two issues from it’s end. These final installments will close out a story arc that spanned all fifteen issues and saw the Doctor reunite with old friends like River Song and old frenemies like Abslom Daak and The Master. It’s taken readers back to the Time War, trapped them inside the TARDIS, and has left River Song dying in stasis, awaiting a cure to a malignancy inflicted by The Malignant: a horror potentially linked to the aforementioned Time War.

Somehow Williams balances writing duties on multiple titles and timelines, but in his work this year on Doctor Who, he–along with co-writer Si Spurrier–hasdelivered a season of comics to rival even the rather excellent last season of the long-running BBC tv series. He managed to grab a few minutes to talk to the Beat about his collaborators, favorite characters, writing approach, and what kind of story readers can expect from the next season of the Eleventh Doctor comic.

Edie Nugent: You worked with Al Ewing on Season One of the 11th Doctor, and now you’ve written Season Two with Si Spurrier. Any chance of getting Ewing back with Spurrier on the forthcoming season three and reuniting the entire Judge Dredd: Trifecta team?

Rob Williams: Sadly not. We’re all so busy. But that moment in time, with Trifecta, did feel a bit like a band album. Al & I co-wrote Who season 1, Si came on for season 2. The reason we can do this is we’re all friends and came through 2000AD at roughly the same time, but we’ve all got our various timetables to deal with.

Nugent: With Ewing on Season One you co-wrote a few issues together and alternated full issue writing duties. Season Two seems to find you and Spurrier alternating full issues. Why the difference in approach? Did the story demand it?

Williams: Actually the approach isn’t dissimilar in one sense. We co-plotted the A plot series arc in season one, and then left space for Al & I to pitch individual episodes. With Si and I we’ve done the same, but the difference is that all of season two is A plot. It’s a novelistic structure. Each issue is a chapter in one long story. That’s been very challenging, and plays more to Si’s strengths of complex plotting than mine, but I think we’ve delivered something unique for Who. It’s far more The Wire in TV terms than it is monster-of-the-week.

Nugent: You had three major Whoniverse guest stars this season: The Master, River Song, and Abslom Daak. Were those characters you and Spurrier personally requested to appear?

Williams: Yes, and everything has to be run past the BBC. Abslom Daak, I read when I was a boy and loved, and I know Simon Fraser‘s [11th Doctor artist] a huge fan too. I asked if we could use him, as I thought that’d be a great, fun addition. The Master is interesting inasmuch as we’ve shown a never-before-seen incarnation of The Master. How he teamed with the War Doctor in the Time War. It’s nice to feel you’re adding to the Who canon somehow.

Nugent: Both of the teams aboard the TARDIS in Season One and Season Two have been excellent, so diverse in terms of both age and origin. Is that something you actively pursue when planning the season?

Williams: I think that’s inherent in new Who, and rightly so. A healthy diversity in cast. Our editor, Andrew James, is very good about upholding the spirit of the show.

Nugent: What are your dream characters that you’d like to include in the future season? Companions, villains, settings in space and time? Any others from the Who-comic-verse? (*cough* Frobisher *cough*)

Williams: Oh, I rather think we’ve ticked a lot of fan boxes with this season. Especially the inclusion of Douglas Adams‘ Shada. The War Doctor. Daak. Especially Daak. You don’t want it to feel like fan-fiction. I think in the next season it’d be fun to take The Doctor back to exploring the past somewhat.

Nugent: Any hope of obtaining the rights to reproduce Terry Nation’s Daleks in the new season? Though I must say the Volatix Cabal were immensely entertaining!

Williams: Thanks. The Volatix Cabal are very much Si Spurrier’s babies, and Si immediately gave them this creepy speech pattern. But the idea of a group of extreme scientist insane non-Dalek mutants – brrrrr. Ian Culbard did a lovely design job on them too. They can come back.

Nugent: On Season One you had more self-contained adventures, spanning an issue or two. Season Two sees you follow a large story arc–putting the pieces together of a greater mystery set up in issue 2.01. What can we expect from Season Three in that respect?

Williams: The novelistic approach was a fun way to go, and it was important to us to do something distinct from season one. I think season 3 may be more back-to-basics. And we may include one or two new voices too.

Nugent: The Doctor’s relationship with Alice was really tested this season, but rang emotionally true. How do you approach writing emotional conflict so it comes across authentically?

Williams: Well any decent story has to have conflict of some kind, preferably emotional. The Doctor has been accused of being a master manipulator in this season, and to prove that’s not the case he’s… rather manipulated poor Alice. It’s sort of what he does. He cares for Alice deeply, but he’s convinced her she was unworthy to be his companion in order to force her hand into certain actions. The Doctor lies… we know that. He does it for good intentions, but it’s still sometimes painful. For Alice, she believes in him and risks everything to prove his innocence while still being very angry with him. And The Doctor is willing to send Alice back to the Time War – the most traumatic period of his history, but he’s got a plan to keep her safe. There’s certainly layers of nuance to their relationship this season.

Nugent: We’ve still got two issues left to go in Season Two, will there be any hints to what Season Three has in store in those final installments?

Williams: No, our final two issues are jam packed, tying up the loose ends and mysteries we’ve set up in season 2. There’s no room for future hints!

Nugent: Any hints YOU can give our readers to what Season three has in store?

Williams: We’re working on it now. Bear with us. I think you can expect more of a classic Who ‘episode of the week’ approach this season, and some exciting new voices too.

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Season Two issue 13 hits stores on September 28, the final two issues of the arc will drop in October and November. Season Three will feature Rob Williams returning on writing duties, as well as Simon Fraser and his long-time colorist Gary Caldwell, who will split art duties with Leandro Casco.

For a little taste of what’s to come in Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Season Three, check out the covers to the forthcoming issue 3.1 below. Issue 3.1 is due out on December 14.

Wizard World Portland gets the Time Lord treatment in an exclusive variant cover for the upcoming show in February. It’s a fitting tribute as headlining guests include 11th Doctor Matt Smith, and season 5 regulars Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston. From Titan:

Titan Comics and Wizard World Convention are teaming up to bring you an exclusive show variant cover for Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor comic for their event in Portland on Feb 19-21.

The Doctor and Alice have met persistent foes before – but never anything like THE THEN & THE NOW, the group of supremely strange cosmic bounty hunters sent to bring them to justice! It’s getting so they can’t even solve an intergalactic war crime without having to flee for their lives!

With some of the first Winter snowfall outside our windows, it feels a bit strange to turn one’s thoughts toward Spring 2016 and the fifteenth anniversary of Free Comic Book Day. So let’s just think of this as a belated holiday gift from our friends at Titan Comics, who have announced today that they’ll be offering two FCBD options from popular titles Assassin’s Creed and Doctor Who. And that’s not all, read on to learn the creative teams behind those upcoming stories and preview their cover art.

Enter the shadowy world of the Assassins and Templars, two feuding factions who have battled over the centuries to decide the course of humanity!

Two all-new short stories, written and illustrated by the creative teams of the regular comics, highlight a shocking event in the life of new Assassin Charlotte de la Cruz, and reveal the true extent of the mysterious Templar Black Cross’s terrifying skills!

New readers or experienced fans: strap on your hidden blades, don your cowls, and blend into the crowd to discover secrets you won’t read anywhere else!

DOCTOR WHO: FOUR DOCTORS SPECIAL FCBD 2016 EDITION – GOLD BOOK

Jump on board the TARDIS with FOUR all-new short tales of the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors! Whether you’re a whiz with a Sonic Screwdriver or completely new to Who, this is the perfect Free Comic Book Day adventure for SF fans of all ages! Written and illustrated by the creative teams of the regular comics, this is the ideal place to start reading!

Ready your jelly babies and grab your favorite gigantic scarf, Whovians! Titan Comics is granting the Fourth Doctor, famously played by Tom Baker, and fan-favorite companion Sarah Jane, made famous by the late, great Elizabeth Sladen, a five-issue miniseries that drops in March of 2016. Titan, who began publishing Who comics in 2014 with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor, will add the Fourth Doctor to a line that includes Doctors Eight, Nine and Twelve.

From Titan:

The Fourth Doctor And Sarah Jane Smith Return For An All-New Adventure!

Titan Comics and BBC Worldwide are pleased to announce a brand-new mini series starring the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, as played by Tom Baker and the late Elisabeth Sladen.

This series expands Titan Comics’ hugely popular and critically acclaimed Doctor Who comics line, which already includes adventures from the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors.

Entitled ‘Gaze Of The Medusa’, the five-part series will hit stores in March 2016 and will be penned by Gordon Rennie (Missionary Man, Judge Dredd) and Emma Beeby (Witch Hunter, Judge Dredd) with art by Brian Williamson (The Twelfth Doctor, Spider-Man, X-Men).

The all-new adventure is set in Victorian England, where a mysterious woman commands a hidden army in a house of the blind. Scryclops stalk the streets…and something alien and terrible screams from prehistory – with a hunger that cannot be satisfied!

We’re less than a month away from the second annual Doctor Who Comics Day on August 15th, and if our SDCC exclusive details on Paul Cornell‘s four Doctor series (not to mention the book’s first six pages) aren’t enough to get you vworping with excitement, check out the recent updates to the tumblr Titan has set up for the occasion. There you’ll find a trailer for the five-part crossover arc (which kicks-off in connection with the Doctor Who Comics Day celebration) featuring Doctor’s Ten through Twelve, their companions, and The War Doctor.

The four Doctor series is illustrated by Neil Edwards (Assassin’s Creed) and officially debuts on August 12th, but you’ll only get the chance to meet Doctor Who comic creators and artists if you drop by a participating store the following Saturday for Doctor Who Comics Day. The tumblr has a list of of the talent you can catch at in-store signings, as well as a peak at the local cosplayers scheduled to appear. Not enough? Most stores will also feature Doctor Who themed giveaways, contests and games.

UK based Titan Comics brought plenty of Doctor Who comic news across the pond for their appearance at SDCC. In addition to assembling some of the artists and writers behind their SDCC 2015 exclusive story and upcoming four Doctor crossover, panel moderator and Executive Editor Andrew James announced a new mini-series and holiday special both coming this Fall.

The panel kicked off with Senior Editor Steve White leading the room in singing Happy Birthday to Ninth Doctor series writer George Mann before James took the podium to premiere a teaser trailer for the forthcoming four Doctor crossover as series writer Paul Cornell looked on. Fans got a taste of never before seen artwork from series artist Neil Edwards, including an image of Doctors Ten, Eleven and Twelve gathered around the TARDIS console with companions Gabby, Alice and Clara. A title card proclaimed the crossover would feature four companions, which begs the question of who the fourth might be.

The crossover hits stores August 12 to coincide with the second annual Doctor Who comics day the following Saturday, August 15. The celebration will feature appearances from Doctor Who comics creators “at over 2,000 stores and libraries world-wide,” according to James.

“This all comes about because Clara Oswald desperately tries to prevent what she refers to as ‘some kind of multi-Doctor event’ which she doesn’t want to happen,” said Cornell, describing the basic premise of the series. “Thankfully, she fails to do that completely.” As with any multi-Doctor tale, from early seventies television serial “The Three Doctors” on down through 2013’s “Day of the Doctor,” disagreements and power struggles between the iterations take center stage.

“Ten and Twelve really don’t see eye to eye. Twelve can’t explain how he’s even alive to the other two,” Cornell said, noting that the story takes place before Doctors Ten and Eleven meet up in “Day of the Doctor.” He acknowledged that how the pair don’t remember this earlier encounter is one of the main points his series will have to explain.

“Ten thinks Twelve must have done something diabolical to even exist, he calls him an ‘abomination.’ And Twelve says, ‘Abomination? Dalek word. Nice.'” Cornell’s take on the Twelfth Doctor includes further witticisms such as his referring to Doctors Ten and Eleven as “Manic Pixie Dream Doctors,” leaving the Eleventh Doctor in the unenviable position of trying to help the other two manage to get along. He promised that the story, which he said was “all about a photograph, the nature of which means the end of the universe,” would feature some compelling cliffhangers, lots of old monsters and some surprise cameos.

Cornell wrapped up by saying: “All the Doctor Who titles are coming to a halt to clear the way for this for five weeks, and then they’ll all be relaunched again with any survivors.”

One of those titles is the recently launched Ninth Doctor comic series. To the right of Cornell on the panel was Cavan Scott and Blair Shedd, respectively the writer and artist behind the series. Scott remarked that he couldn’t quite believe he was writing for a Doctor that had already reached the 10th anniversary of their appearance and then death.

“We wanted to do a big event to celebrate that,” Scott said, “and wanted to do things we hadn’t seen the Doctor do very often in that year.” He said that Nine is still dealing with the Time War, leaving him a “very, very raw, a man who’s remembering how to be the Doctor.” Scott felt the TARDIS team of Rose Tyler and Jack Harkness helped the Doctor with that, saying he loved the brilliant way that group interacted. He also noted the flirting between Jack and the Doctor and Rose, which he likened to a love triangle that was perpetually spinning.

In terms of story, Scott explained that annihilation of the Time Lords left a “vacuum of power” that two warring factions are vying to fill. This leads the Ninth Doctor, Scott said, “to come face to face with people who are saying, ‘We are the new champions of Time’ and he might not like that.”

Scott added another Doctor to the growing roster of Time Lords he’s written for when he paired with Mann on writing duties for the SDCC exclusive story “Selfie.” James explained that the origins of the Con-centric story, which he described as a “delight” to work on, lay truly with the writers as his brief for the tale only asked that they do a story set in San Diego with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara.

“We spent an evening on Skype arguing, basically,” said Mann, who elaborated that the loose brief from James gave them the freedom to go anywhere in the city, but that both writers agreed they wanted to do a story at the convention center which they saw as “the heart of comics.” This was why the story opens with the TARDIS landing in the middle of the convention’s main floor, in a full-page shot that James explained took artist Rachael Stott weeks to complete as she kept adding detail and costumes for con goers that referenced a variety of fandoms.

Scott said he and Mann asked themselves what summed up a convention these days and decided it was the many selfies taken by attendees. This led to the concept of an alien that could only be seen in selfies, and what endgame such a creature would have. “So if you look on your phones and see this,” Scott intoned in an ominous voice, gesturing to a slide showing a panel of the alien, “run.”

James segued into the announcement portion of the panel by saying that the Titan editors so loved Stott’s work on “Selfie” that she was the first artist invited to work on year two of the Twelfth Doctor series. Stott will support returning writer Robbie Morrison. “Selfie” writing team Scott and Mann will also return to a Twelfth Doctor story in a holiday special due out in early December. “Doctor Who is synonymous with Christmas back in the UK and around the world,” James said, “but we’re going to go slightly more international with the holiday.”

The other big announcement from the panel was the release of a new mini-series featuring the Eighth Doctor. James showed a slide of the series’ issue one cover by Alice X. Zhang, whose oil painting-style imagery depicts actor Paul McGann. McGann’s brief on-screen tenure as the Doctor only included one ill-fated TV movie, meant to test the waters for a possible BBC series collaboration with Fox. Though the film is much maligned, fans largely agree McGann himself shined in the role.

Due out October 28, the new series will be written by Mann with art by Emma Vieceli. “It’s a different format to the mini-series you’ve seen before,” Mann said, explaining that this was a later version of the Eighth Doctor, as seen just prior to “Night of the Doctor.” That television short, which served as a prequel to “Day of the Doctor,” was well-received by fans and may have paved the way for Titan to feature him in comic form.

Mann himself stated the short had personally made him want a season’s worth of Eighth Doctor stories. As a result, he wrote each issue as it’s own “episode” and “separate adventure.” Issue one will deal with a “village under siege set in the modern day,” but the issues will also see the Doctor travel to distant worlds and introduce new villains. Mann also said that we’ll meet a new companion named “Josie” who will be central to the stories, calling her “the backbone of the series.”

The Eleventh Doctor year two sees the introduction of a new writer to pair with Robbie Williams, Si Spurrier, who sent a video greeting to play to the panel introducing himself. Artist Simon Fraser returns, joined by newcomer Warren Pleece. The Tenth Doctor year two brings back Nick Abadzis on writing, while returning artist Elena Casagrande will be joined by Eleonora Carlini.

Check out some of the upcoming covers from Tenth and Eleventh Doctor year two, upcoming Twelfth Doctor and new Eighth Doctor covers below!

Christopher Eccleston’s portrayal of the Ninth Doctor relaunched the Doctor Who television series in 2005, and many a fanperson has swooned over David Tennant as the show’s dashing Tenth Doctor. But it was Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Eleventh Doctor that crested the wave of Who-mania that has swept the globe in the last few years. Fans who were left pining for Smith’s incarnation of the time-traveling “madman with a box” will have reason to celebrate the release of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Vol. 1 After Life which collects issues 1-5 of the series. I spoke with co-writers Al Ewing and Rob Williams in advance of the March 25 release date (in bookstores and on Amazon.com March 31) about their past collaborations, the Doctor’s newest companion, and even got a few hints at what fans can expect in the forthcoming issues of the Titan Comics series.

Edie Nugent: Did the fact that both of you worked together on 2000 AD help you in co-writing this series? If so, how?

Al Ewing: It probably did – systems evolved during the writing of Judge Dredd:Trifecta, our 2000 AD crossover, that helped with the writing of Who. For example, I’m pretty sure we had at least one Skype conversation during that time, although more often we met in the pub. And Trifecta involved some very intricate plotting, some of which happened on the fly, so it was good practice.

Rob Williams: It helped too that we knew each other and were friends. It’s not as if you’re co-writing with a stranger because who knows how that might go. But yes, as Al said, we’d co-written once together with Si Spurrier on Trifecta, so we knew how to do it, and felt confident we could make such a situation work.

Nugent: The writing on the After Life series is very consistent. How did you work together to find the “voice” of the Doctor and establish continuity of that voice through the series?

Williams: I think his voice is very well established by the series and by Matt Smith’s delivery. It’s easy to hear when writing dialogue for the book. If you feel you’re veering off track you just stick an episode of the show on for 10 minutes. Smith did the verbal patter very well.

Nugent: The audience knows Smith-era patter the moment they read it, but to have such an ear for writing new dialogue without it seeming forced: this just comes naturally to you?

Ewing: Well, writing any kind of unforced dialogue takes a lot of practice. But essentially, as long as the delivery seems correct, you can get away with a lot – Matt Smith can deliver a lot of different kinds of line and have them all seem part of the same character, so as long as the reader is hearing that voice in their head, it’ll cover a multitude of sins. I’m sure Rob and I both have writing tics that shine through once you’re looking for them. “…” for a pause is one of mine.

Williams: Without wanting to sound arrogant, I think Al and I are both pretty good with dialogue. The dialogue’s really not the hard part. Writing the Doctor he can babble on and you read it back and it’s all good stuff. But comics is a visual medium. So I find I have to cut a lot of my Doctor dialogue or the page would be overcrowded with speech balloons. The hard part with The Doctor is more the plotting, I find.

Nugent: Let’s talk about Alice Obifune. How did you dream her up? She’s got the smarts of Martha and the attitude of Donna (as well as many Classic Who companions like Zoe and Sarah Jane); questioning the Doctor and his motives. You mention in the series that the Doctor finds her wisdom and maturity a comfort, contrasted with his usually younger and greener companions.

Williams: I think it was a case of trying to do something a bit different. The TV show usually has The Doctor with young girls as assistants. Smith looks so young, we thought it would be a fun dynamic to pair him with someone who seems to be physically older then him. Someone a bit more sure of herself having been through a life.

Ewing: I forget where she came from at first – it’s a long time ago – but I remember being very keen that she give as good as she get with regard to the Doctor. I’m pretty sure her age relative to other new series companions came up early on as well in connection with that – the idea that the actor playing Alice, if she existed as a TV series character, would be older than Matt Smith and have some natural authority there. Or maybe it was the other way around. I know her Dad dying in the Falklands set her age in stone to an extent, although I don’t know if we’ve gotten around to mentioning that at all.

Williams: It’s mentioned somewhere. I forget where.

Ewing: We know he died when she was small, and I think there’s a newspaper headline in one of the scenes about the end of the war, but I don’t know if we’ve connected the dots yet. It’ll be a nice tidbit for anyone reading this!

Nugent: There’s another thing that makes Alice so mature, aside from having more years under her belt than the average TV companion: she’s recently orphaned when the first issue opens. Very adult theme, that. Was there any push-back on opening the story line with such an emotionally dark moment: going through the motions and feeling empty following the loss of her mother?

Ewing: Not at all – I’m pretty sure everyone was up for that from the beginning. Originally, I think we were set to go much darker in terms of the overall plot – this is at the very early stages – but that ended up, rightly I think, being decided against. I think the balance between light and dark stuff we’ve got now is just about perfect.

Williams: Titan and the BBC were very supportive. I liked that opening very much. The subdued grey wasn’t what people were expecting. It’s a theme that continues through the entire series. The first ‘season’ of the comic is really Alice’s journey through her loss. Coming to terms with it, learning to move forward and live again. It’s the emotional spine of the book.

Nugent: So you worked together to co-write the series, even though issue 1 seems to be the only issue that’s co written (Al took issues 2,4 and 5 with Bob penning issue 3). Was it like television writing? Did you both form a ‘writers room’ of sorts at the pub or over Skype, blocking out the story arc and then individually write drafts?

Williams: We wrote half of #1 each. Al took #2, I did #3. Then Al did a two-parter with #4 & #5, I did #6. The entire 15 issue series is half Al, half me. #14 & #15 we’re writing half of each issue, so they’ll be co-written. The rest of the stories, there’s often little bits from one of us even if the other person is credited as scripting. My #10, for instance, Al made a suggestion there which helped nail down the theme. Lots of that going on. It’s a writer’s room dynamic throughout.

Ewing: That’s pretty much exactly how it went! For issue 1, we took eleven pages each and then did a lot of rewriting so they fit – after that, it’s been a matter of discussing where the plot’s going and where we want it to go on Skype, and then working out what’ll happen in each individual issue. (Or two-parter, if we’re writing both parts.) Mostly it happens on Skype – once or twice we’ve met up for a pint, but Skype’s probably more productive given the lack of booze.

Nugent: I loved how you wove in these legendary musical figures: Robert Johnson, and the Bowie-like John Jones. It’s nice because so many of the historical figures we meet in Doctor Who stories are Queens or classic authors. What made you decide to highlight musicians and those two in particular?

Ewing: Both of those are Rob’s doing, really – Jones was the companion Rob brought to the table, although I’ve had a lot of fun with him myself and rediscovered an interest in Bowie’s music.

Williams: That was just an idea born out off Bowie’s similarity to The Doctor in terms of regenerations. There’s always been a sense about Bowie of ‘where did this guy come from?’ Now, I’m sure certain substances were involved in that otherworldness. But what if, instead, he travelled with The Doctor? And that’s how he ended up with all these crazy outfits and looks etc. That seemed a fun idea. There’s a line in #3 which I think is true. If you had a time machine the first best use would be going to see all those classic gigs you’ve only ever read about.

Nugent: Al, Your issue 2 story centers on the idea of corporations ruining the ecology of a place, in this case Rokhandi and it’s natural beauty. The themes of industrial development and brainwashing could easily be transposed to the ecological worries of today. Were you intending to write the story as warning or wake-up call to the youth who will read it?

Ewing: I’m not sure I’d go as far as to call it a warning or a wake-up call – that sounds like I’ve got a bit more clout in the readers minds than I probably have – but Doctor Who stories should have some thematic links or resonances with what people are worried about in the real world. There was a lot of that during the McCoy era, as I recall – Doctor Who as a critique of Thatcherism. So yes, there’s more than a little in #2 that could be about corporate cronyism in politics or the selling-off of natural resources, but that’s all par for the course with Who.

Nugent: How are you both feeling about the recent news that your comic story line will merge with that of the tenth and twelfth Doctors this fall in a limited series to be written by Hugo-nominated Doctor Who television writer (and longtime Who fanboy) Paul Cornell?

Ewing: I’m looking forward to it! It should be a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see what Paul does with our characters. I can’t think of anyone better to attempt a crossover of that nature, and I’ll be avidly reading every issue.

Williams: Paul’s a fine writer and a friend, so I’m sure he’ll do a stellar job and treat the Eleventh Doctor and Alice very well. I’ll look forward to reading it. And then we have ‘Season Two’ of the Eleventh to get up and running. We’ve already got a few fun, surprising things planned.

Nugent: Are there any more teasers you can give Comics Beat readers? Will we find out the identity of the mysterious Time lord that appeared to Eleven? Any other tasty tidbits?

Williams: You might find out the identity of the mysterious Time Lord in me and Al’s #14-#15 two-parter.

Ewing: Tasty tidbits…things are going to get very colourful in issue #11, and fans of a certain movie will be pleased with us.